This invention relates to an automotive air conditioner, more particularly, it relates to an automotive air conditioner for preventing compressor lock caused by a lack of lubricant.
As for an automotive air conditioner, lubricant for lubricating portions of a compressor which rotate, slide, etc., is sucked into a refrigerant cycle with refrigerant. More particularly, when an automotive air conditioner is assembled, a prescribed amount of lubricant is enclosed in the compressor, and the compressor is connected to each element, e.g., a condenser, expansion means, evaporator, etc., with a refrigerant pipe. Then in such a condition, a prescribed amount of refrigerant is enclosed into a refrigerant cycle. Consequently, in such a condition that a refrigerant is enclosed in the refrigerant cycle, lubricant and refrigerant are mixed in the compressor.
Since a lubricant which is compatible with the refrigerant is required, the refrigerant in the compressor is discharged when the compressor starts up and concurrently the lubricant inside the compressor is also discharged into the refrigerant cycle. Consequently, most of the lubricant inside the compressor is discharged into the refrigerant cycle when the compressor starts up and while the lubricant circulates through the refrigerant cycle and it is sucked by the compressor again, the compressor rotates almost without lubricant. Therefore, lubrication becomes insufficient at the portions which rotate or slide and that causes a problem of seizure, etc.